Maharashtra Minister for Public Works (Public Undertakings) Eknath Shinde, Joint Managing Director of MSRDC Kiran Kurundkar and Nagpur District Collector Sachin Kurve were present at the occasion.

Land acquisition process began on Thursday for the Maharashtra government’s ambitious Nagpur-Mumbai expressway project with half a dozen farmers giving away their lands for the venture. (Express File Photo)

Land acquisition process began on Thursday for the Maharashtra government’s ambitious Nagpur-Mumbai expressway project with half a dozen farmers giving away their lands for the venture. Six landholders signed sale deeds to mark the land acquisition process for the project, which is also called samruddhi corridor. The sale deeds were registered at Hingna tehsil office in Nagpur district, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is executing the project, said in a release.

Maharashtra Minister for Public Works (Public Undertakings) Eknath Shinde, Joint Managing Director of MSRDC Kiran Kurundkar and Nagpur District Collector Sachin Kurve were present at the occasion. Local resident Ram Asre Jokhulal Sahu became the first person to sell the land for the project and receive compensation. Besides him, five other landholders also signed sale deeds and received compensation, the release said.

A compensation of Rs 2.59 crore was paid to the landholders who sold 3.5 hectares in Hingna tehsil to the state government, it said. Officially called the Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE), the project is estimated to cost Rs 46,000 crore and pass through Nagpur, Buldhana, Amravati, Wardha, Washim, Thane, Aurangabad, Akola, Bhiwandi and Nashik districts. The project is facing opposition from farmers in Nashik district. In Nagpur district, the state government will be acquiring 207 hectares. Speaking on the occasion, Shinde said, “The NMSCE will be an expressway to prosperity. It will be a game changer for Maharashtra and ensure economic stability in the state.”